Northampton hires expert to solve "curse' of windows

Gracedale's panes have let rain in since the '70s, Stoffa says.

Northampton County will pay a specialist up to $22,000 to test why windows are leaking at the Gracedale nursing home.

County Executive John Stoffa signed an order Wednesday to hire Architectural Testing Inc. of York to provide "water penetration" testing to the building in Upper Nazareth Township.

Windows at the facility have leaked during rains since the 1970s, with water pooling near windows in lounges and resident rooms.

Stoffa said he hesitated to approve the work because the cost is too high. He said he signed it only after he was told there are only a few companies that perform these types of tests and because the county needs to resolve the problem.

"This thing with the windows is like a curse," Stoffa said. "It's been there since '73 and '74. Everybody has a theory, but nobody knows."

He said the county also is paying a few thousand dollars to run other tests, including spraying silicone on bricks around the windows to see if that stops water from seeping in.